No matter where you live, whether
there is a foot of snow on your yard or it is nice and warm, it is likely
that a wondrous creature is, right now, at work in or near your yard. This
creature has more ability to sense the things going on around him than
a sophisticated space probe. It can even hear earthworms chewing beneath
the ground. This wondrous and misunderstood creature is the mole.

But let's start by getting rid of
some myths about the mole. Although his eyes are tiny and often hidden
by fur, the mole is not, as some people think, blind. Moles don't run very
well across the ground because they are made for digging. Their front feet
have claws for digging which are so specialized that the mole must walk
on its knuckles. The mole's nose and tail have vibration sensors that are
more sensitive than any that man's science has been able to make. These
sensors are composed of thousands of parts, and allow the mole to hear
and locate the grubs chewing on the roots of your lawn - even through several
feet of soil! In one year's time a mole can eat almost 60 pounds of grubs
- more than enough grubs to kill a fair-sized lawn. Every creature has
a purpose, whether we understand it or not.

Although you might not like the
little trails which moles leave in your lawn, the trails are quite harmless.
The thing to remember is that there is a mole on patrol in your yard!